Customer Reviews

Classical Persian Music: An Introduction

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This book is a solid explanation of the intricacies of Persian radif music, which is a combination of precomposed and improvised elements. As a professional musician and composer I found the author's willingness to address technical issues a big plus. Yet the book is not forbiddingly technical or dry, and a serious non-musician can also gain a lot from the book. If you are not steeped in Persian music already it may take a while to digest the theory behind this music, but this book is absolutely introduction I've seen.

It seems Ella Zonis book is one of the first "serious" researches on the music of Persia (Iran).
She came to the country and learned to play Persian instruments under the supervision of various masters. Beside theoretical information about Persian music and also musical life in 20th century Persia, the book gives many interesting information about the social situation in the country. It's so surprising that why the publisher did not reprint that anymore. Anyway it's available almost in all main libraries of the world.